Taylor Pirone gave up only seven earned runs, good for a 0.35 ERA, which was best in the section. She also struck out 159 while walking 14. / Matthew Brown/The Journal News

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You might think you know Ursuline sophomore Taylor Pirone, but you have no idea. There are two sides to the ace pitcher.

"I've kind of become loud and crazy," Pirone said. "I'm the person you'll see randomly dancing and singing the words to every single song on the radio. I'm loud and a goofball.

"I just like to make people happy."

Her teammates would agree.

"That's just the kind of people we are," teammate Kristie Vitulli said. "When we're all together, there's never a dull moment. She's very outspoken and animated."

But when Pirone is on the field, it's as if she becomes a different person. She is intense in the pitcher's circle, and the numbers show how successful she was.

In 141 innings, The Journal News Westchester/Putnam softball player of the year allowed only seven earned runs, good for a 0.35 ERA, the best in the section. Pirone also struck out 159 while walking just 14.

She was just as good at the plate, hitting .344 with three home runs, three doubles and a triple. She drew 10 walks and scored 14 runs.

The Koalas moved up to League I-A, joining Scarsdale, White Plains and New Rochelle. They also played a crossover game with North Rockland and then faced the Red Raiders again in the sectional final. Pirone thought the tougher schedule was good for both her and the team.

"This year, we had a lot of challenges," Pirone said. "Facing Lauren Sputo (of White Plains) is a challenge; facing New Rochelle is a challenge for us. That was definitely hard, but I think it was a good switch. It made us step up our game."

One of Pirone's biggest challenges this spring came on April 8 during a tournament in South Carolina. On a delayed call by the umpires, Pirone ended up being ejected, which caused her to miss the next game, the regular-season meeting with North Rockland.

Pirone learned a valuable lesson from that incident.

"Keep my head on straight and don't lose my composure," Pirone said.

"For a minute there, I just lost my composure. It was a stupid mistake where the girl was coming in and I knew she wasn't going to slide. She was going to try and take me out, so I was going to block the plate. It was that one little mental breakdown. So I definitely learned to keep my cool."

While Pirone continues to grow up on the varsity stage and make a name for herself, the rest of the section is taking notice.

"I was shocked to find out that she's only a sophomore," said North Rockland senior Samantha Welsh, who was the opposing pitcher in the Section 1 championship game. "You look at the pitcher to set the tone for the team, and I was very impressed by her pitching ability. If she keeps this up, she's going to be one of the toughest pitchers to beat."

After the Koalas and Pirone had their best season to date, she believes the future is wide-open.

"This past year, people saw what the Ursuline Koalas are capable of," Pirone said. "We laid the groundwork for another two solid, competitive years. I hope that people will say, 'Hey Ursuline, yeah, they're good, and watch out.' North Rockland and White Plains have earned that respect.